Controller-display clicks onto front panels

Moeller has developed a novel, panel-mounting display and controller based on its Easy 800 control relay. The new device, called the MFD-Titan, has a large backlit display which can show either alphanumerics or simple graphic displays.

The device (shown above in an exploded view) is designed to mount simply onto the front panel of an enclosure, with the display on the front, connected to the logic module, I/O and power supply, via two 22.5mm holes punched into the panel. The various sections simply click together to create an IP65-rated panel display and controller which cannot rotate. Expansion and communications modules can be added using a short DIN rail.

The 132 by 64 pixel (60mm by 30mm) LCD screen can be configured to show four 16-character lines, or a large four-digit readout. It can also show pictures in a bitmap format and is configured using a software editing tool that provides a "blank sheet" onto which the programmer places objects and then configures them using drop-down boxes.

The device`s control functions are configured is a similarly simple way, using a software package which is more like a drawing tool than a programming tool. Control circuits can be copied from an electrical diagram using a drag-and-drop editor. Completed control schemes can be tested using a built-in simulator before going live on a machine.

As well as the LCD, the front panel contains two LEDS which can be lit or flashed to indicate machine status or to attract attention.